...because you guys know this already, but I'm still a relative newby on the SWing.

Went on a church moto ministry run today into the Feather River Canyon and back out down Highway 49 into Nevada City and Auburn. 309 miles total, most of which was two lane, windy, twisty forest roads.

The SWing really IS a great bike for that use. It corners really well, has good power and ya never need to sweat whether you're in the right gear for the corner.

I am, however, suffering from terminal monkeybutt...

Okay, stop snickering now...

http://www.antimonkeybutt.com/

If you read a lot of the posts on this forum, I think you'll find that many (including me) think that the stock Silverwing seat leaves a lot to be desired for long distance riding. Throughout the posts, many different solutions are offered, from relatively simple Airhawk cushions to a total seat replacement (what I did). You might want to read up on some of these, then ask qustions about specific solutions. I'm sure many will be happy to tell you what works for them.

In June I rode 2500+ miles from the North West of England, touring in France and back home again. On really hot days I used a Beadrider on the seat and that kept the monkeybutt at bay. I have tried an AirHawk but even at very low levels of inflation I didn't like the wobble you get when doing slow speed manoeuvring. Generally I find the stock seat comfortable even for long distances - but this comes down to personal preference more than anything else. Hope you find a solution that works for you.

My experience is the same as tarmacburner; I find the seat comfortable but do stop regularly and walk about when I'm on a long ride.

Go over to Lake Shasta and have a talk with these folks,

http://www.day-long.com/

you will never regret it.

The AirHawk and the Beadrider do the same thing - prop you up and off the seat so that air can flow underneath you. The airflow dries the sweat off your butt. That moisture is what promotes the fungus/bacteria that makes your butt hurt/itch. The first few months I rode (when I started riding two years ago) I was having lots of problems - worse than when I rode a mountain bike.

I've been using the AH for two years now, and quite happy with it. You will find your butt gets cold in the winter from the air flow. I think that, even if I got a custom seat, I would still use the AH to stay dry.

DH got me a gel seat cushion from the auto department at WalMart for $20 and it works great. Strange as it sounds, even tho it's black, it's cool when I sit on it even in 100+ temps. Well.....COOOLER than the stock seat. I really like it for the type of driving I do. I haven't done any long distance driving, just 50 highway/city miles a day normally.